The author, now retired, taught and coached in both public and private high schools in Ohio, Pennsylvania, California, New York, and Southeast Asia for thirty years. He has drawn on this experience to portray a "realistic and sometimes explosive" school environment. In 1967 the author met John Steinbeck in Northeast Thailand. John Steinbeck told him, "If you're going to do this, write about things you know, write about things you really care about. And don't quit your regular job." Following Steinbeck's advice, the author did both.